Racial microaggressions: Identifying factors affecting perceived severity and exploring strategies to reduce harm

Microaggressions are speech or actions constituting indirect, subtle, unintentional acts of discrimination, and awareness their harmful effects has grown in recent years. Increased could improve inter-group interactions, but also poses challenges. Fear misspeaking, fear being subject to microaggressions can stifle interactions. We investigated how people from different racial ethnic groups political orientations judge the severity various forms microaggressions, we tested a specific strategy mitigate harm microaggressions. Specifically, Experiment 1, White participants (WP) colour (POC) rated (depicted vignettes). Participants reported orientation strength racial/ethnic identity. Regardless group, left-leaning was associated with higher perceived Furthermore, ratings POC were for those who identified more strongly ethnic/racial group. In 2, again obtained ratings, used microaggression vignettes that manipulated reveal source s mindset as either reparatory open-minded (ROM), not. Critically, significantly lower which ROM messaged. The importance these results is twofold. First, they override other factors like group membership when judging second, show augmenting problematic information about mindset, harm. Overall, this work contributes richer understanding implications theory practice.